One too much, one missing and spot on
by Swissmounty
Summary: Another spin-off to "The Return of Irondise", set September 1st, 1993
1. Chapter 1

**One too much, one missing and spot on**

 **Chapter 1**

Ed Brown was drowning. He needed some air urgently. He tried to fight his way back from the bottom of the sea to the surface, but his lungs seemed to burst. When his head finally broke through the surface of the water he gasped for breath. Agony threatened to rob his conscience. It was a nightmare.

He knew it was a nightmare, he had dreamed it a hundred times since 1973, when Ted Ollinger had been murdered and Ironside had sent him out to find out what had happened to him. The murderer had tried to get him out of the way as well. But it wasn't 1973 anymore, and Ed wasn't Ironside's assistant anymore. He was now working for the Denver police, and more importantly: he was Eve Whitfield Brown's husband. He would never understand why she had agreed to marry him, but she had made him the happiest man on earth. They had adopted a wonderful, though very special boy, Danny. Life was perfect. Ed didn't know why such nightmares from former times kept haunting him. And he didn't understand why the agony felt so real... and why something about the nightmare was different this time. The hands he was seeing blurrily in front of his eyes weren't the ones of a young fellow, but the sinewy ones of a middle-aged man. He wasn't clinging to a pier now. It was a tree stump. This was all wrong.

This wasn't a nightmare... It was reality!

Where in blazes was he?

Slowly sense was flooding back into his brain. A fight. Two men. Only for a moment he'd been able to defend himself against one of them, and even then just barely. Then the other one had come from behind. He'd hit him in his back with a thick tree branch, right where his back had been broken a long time ago. The pain had almost made him lose consciousness. Then he'd been pushed over the edge of the rocks, down into the lake. But why had he been there in the first place...?

He and Eve had taken a night and a day off and had gone for a long, wonderful hiking tour. It was one of these rare days where time should be frozen for a year or two. They had soaked up the beauty of nature like sponges, and he had felt that it must be possible to escape the office every now and then.

They had almost been back to the car when the two men had assaulted them. Eve had tried to fight one of them, but the man had pushed her away like a doll...

Eve! What had they done to her? Oh, Lord, please... not Eve! Frantically he looked around. Although his vision started to clear he couldn't see her. If she had been knocked out and thrown down the slope like him she could not be far away. Ed filled his hurting lungs with as much air as possible and started to dive. He plunged into the water again and again. And again. And again.

At one point he found himself lying on the lakeshore, unable to move. He refused to give up. He wanted to stand up and continue searching, but his limbs just didn't obey him. For a long time he lay there, panting, angry at himself, but unable to move.

After what seemed to be an eternity he managed to get up. His wet shirt and jeans were clinging to his body and he felt very cold. He glanced at his watch. It was still working – it was a good Swiss watch, Eve's wedding present to him. It showed 4.30 pm. At least an hour must have passed since the two masked men had attacked them.

Ed threw a last glance around. Since Eve's body had not shown up until now chances were intact that she wasn't here. There was room for hope, although he had to assume that if she wasn't here she was lying somewhere in the woods – or had been abducted.

He looked for a possibility to climb up to the road. In a big detour he reached the spot where they had been assaulted. He searched the area thoroughly. It hadn't rained for over two weeks, therefore the soil was hard and didn't show any traces. None whatsoever. Where was the backpack they had somehow torn off his back? He only found the tree branch he'd probably been hit with. Slowly he advanced to where he had parked his car that morning. It wasn't there anymore. Again – no traces, neither of his car nor of a second one.

 _Eve, my dear Eve – where are you?_

It was getting dark. He wouldn't accomplish anything alone here. He had to get help. Put out an APB on his car. Get the entire police machinery going. As if it weren't his beloved wife, but just any missing person.

He started to walk downwards, towards Denver, wondering why he and Eve had been bushwhacked in the first place.

He would not get home on foot, since it was almost 100 miles away. He would have to find someone with a car or at least a phone.

* * *

"I need to talk to Chief Ironside."

Katherine Ironside stared at the phone, bewildered. There was no greeting, no name, just a strange voice – a child's voice, but somehow flat...

"Robert! Somebody wants to talk to you! It may be Eve's and Ed's son."

Ironside picked up the handset. "Danny, is that you?"

"Yes. You have to come."

Ironside didn't laugh. He probably would have at such a request from any other child, but with Danny it was different. He was autistic. He would have trouble to word what was on his mind. Although his voice sounded emotionless, Ironside sensed that he was shaken. Ironside would have to talk to him in short, precise sentences, if he wanted to find out what was bothering him.

"I understand. Please tell me why you need me."

"My parents are missing."

"I see. You are not alone, are you?" Danny was only twelve years old.

"No, Suzanne is babysitting me."

"Does she know that your parents are missing?"

"No."

Ah, that was interesting. Suzanne Dwyer, Eve's daughter from her first marriage, had been expelled from the police academy because of her alcohol abuse, but she still worked in the police department - as far away from Ed as possible, to avoid any suspicion of nepotism. She was smarter than most police officers. Was the boy imagining things? Maybe, but there had to be something wrong. Ironside knew how much Danny hated phone calls. He would not have called him if he weren't really upset.

"Why do you believe it?"

"Daddy promised me they would be back by 6 p.m. It's 6.30."

So Danny expected him to fly to Denver because his parents were thirty minutes late!

"Where did they go?"

"They went on a hiking tour in Rocky Mountain National Park."

"Don't you think they may just be a little late?"

"You know my dad. He would never let me down."

That was true. Ed knew how important agreements were for his son. He had a car phone. He would have phoned if they were just late. Of course there were still lots of harmless possibilities why they might be late and unable to call Danny. It would have been unreasonable to drop everything and travel to Denver.

"Listen, Sonoma is quite far away from Denver, and it's expensive to fly to you. Let's find another possibility to find your ..."

He was interrupted, "Suzanne is coming back. I have to hang up."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"What's the matter, Robert?" Katherine asked her husband who was sitting thoughtfully in his wheelchair after the call had ended.

"I have no idea. It seems that Ed and Eve have gone hiking today. They left Danny in Suzanne's care. Now they are late, and Danny is panicking."

She stepped behind him and started massaging his neck. The strength of his shoulders kept amazing her. "Can't you just ask Suzanne for an explanation?"

"I will. But I'll give them another ten minutes."

Ironside dialed the Browns' number. Suzanne answered the phone.

"Are your mother and Ed back?"

"No, they're not – but how'd you know? Don't tell me that Danny..."

"Yes, Danny called me. He sounded worried."

"Danny never sounds anything. Yes, they are late. But where's the problem?  
Some colleagues had bought a voucher for a night in a nice hotel for them as a wedding present. And as Ed never takes a holiday there were bets out all over the department whether or not he would take the time off to go there before the summer ended. So – since the climatologic beginning of fall is today - yesterday was the last chance, and because everybody made such a fuss about it he used it. They are adults and newlyweds, but since Danny lives with them they never had an evening off together. Don't you think they deserve one once in a while?"

She sounded rather aggressive, in spite of seemingly defending her mother and stepfather. Suzanne Dwyer was a very spirited young lady.

"Will you stay with Danny overnight?"

"Of course I will, unless they come back soon! I'll have to. My mother would kill me if I left that precious child alone, and what's worse, Ed Brown would be standing there helplessly with that sad look in his brown eyes! He may be a good policeman, but in his private life he's such a..." Obviously she bit back something like 'wimp'.

That girl had to be terribly jealous of her mother's new husband or of her adopted brother or of both.

"Suzanne – what do you think your mother would say if she heard you?"

Suzanne was now shouting into the phone in a mocking voice, "She would say, 'Honey, I don't love you one bit less than before. There's enough love for both you and Danny'."

"And, would she be wrong? Do they treat you shabbily?"

"Of course not! They can't do anything wrong. They just let this impossible kid walk into my life and suddenly I have a little brother. He destroys every chance of a normal family life, he smashes things I like and he has to be handled with kid gloves, but they are always patient. They are always right. It sucks to always be the one who is wrong! Without this little pain in the neck – in MY neck - I'd move to Hawaii or to the moon right away!"

"Now that's enough! You are twenty-three years old. Start functioning again. Have you tried Ed's car phone?"

"No, I haven't. But if they are in a restaurant they would not hear it anyway."

Danny was right. Avoiding the word 'right' Ironside insisted, "In that case they would have called. Try it and call me back!"

Ironside was convinced that there would not be such an easy solution, but it had to be checked out.

Meanwhile he was already thinking about how to go on.

"Katherine, please pack a small overnight bag for me, just the necessary for a night or two. Then book a seat for me on the last flight from San Francisco to Denver, will you? I suppose I will be needed there."

Katherine knew better than to question his actions. His flair for smelling trouble was unmatched.

* * *

When Suzanne called back she had calmed down. She was now the reasonable person he knew. "They're not answering."

"I'm coming. Katherine will phone you as soon as she knows the time of my arrival at Denver International. It will be late – please pick me up. And Suzanne - take Danny with you."

* * *

Ed followed a lane which branched off the road, and finally he saw the lights of a house in the dark. He knocked at the door.

He was greeted by a rifle. "Put your hands on your head where I can see them, mister. Then step into the light, nice and slowly."

Well, you couldn't expect to be welcomed with open arms in such a lonely house at nighttime. In the gas light of the hallway the face of the resident looked very upset. The man was about sixty, stocky, and anything but friendly... and he was staring at Ed as if he had two heads.

"Sir, I'm sorry to disturb..."

"Shut up!" Threateningly he pointed towards a stairs. "Down there!"

"Please, let me explain..."

"Shut up!"

Ed complied. He could understand that a hermit was afraid of a nightly visitor, and he had to admit that he didn't exactly inspire confidence the way he looked right now. He would even have understood to be chased off. But this was over the top. What was the matter with this man?

"Turn around! Try any stunt and I'll shoot you. I'm a hunter, I won't miss."

With the rifle still pointed at him Ed had no choice. The man seemed to know what he was doing. He forced him into a cellar and then – where did he take them?! – he put some handcuffs around Ed's wrists behind his back. With a bang the cellar door slammed shut, then a key was turned.

It wasn't entirely dark in the cellar since some moonlight penetrated through a light well. It was a normal storage cellar with a shelf on one side. Ed recognized stocks of food, wine, cleaning agents and a few flowerpots.

Through the ceiling Ed heard the hermit's voice. He concentrated on listening to what he was saying. "I tell you, the guy looks like a bum, but he's the cop who brought McManus down! I've seen his picture in the newspaper... No, of course not the one in the wheelchair; the other one. He's the new Chief now. No idea how he found me... Damn, I _know_ that I have to kill him!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Damn, I _know_ that I have to kill him! ... How? ... All right, that's an idea... Yes, I will... Yes, I'll call back when I've got rid of him..."

So Ed had stumbled into a criminal's cabin – and the man thought that he had chased him down!

Negotiation didn't seem to be much of an option. If he wanted to get out of this alive he had to do something, and fast.

He looked around, hoping to find something useful. _Come on, Ed, you haven't worked with Chief Ironside for a decade, gone to university and become Eve's husband to get yourself killed by some dirty punk just like that!_ he berated himself.

There was a bottle of bleach on the shelf. He threw it to the ground with his elbow, then he did the same with a bottle of vinegar. Fortunately the flower pots were on the lowest shelf, so he could grab one.

Although it wasn't easy with his hands going numb behind his back he managed to open the vinegar bottle and pour some of the vinegar into the pot, spilling a good part of it. Making sure that his hands were dry he grabbed the bleach. He managed to open that one too before the key was turned and the door was pushed open. Holding his breath he threw the bleach into the direction of the pot. The hermit started to cough heavily when the resulting chlorine gas penetrated his airways. Ed slipped past him and fled out into the night.

* * *

Suzanne was awaiting Ironside at the airport, Danny at her side.

"Any news?" asked the Chief as soon as he saw them.

She shook her head. It was visible that she was now as convinced as Danny that something had gone wrong.

"We'll have to put an APB out on Ed's car."

"They could have had an accident. There are some dangerous roads in Rocky Mountain National park, and maybe they didn't even get back to the car."

"When normal people vanish, you may think of an accident. When this happens to a police Chief, think of a crime," Ironside answered somberly.

She sighed. "I know. I just don't want to believe it."

"Have you been drinking?"

"No, I haven't! Danny would have set my teeth on edge if I had."

Together they entered the Browns' little house. Ironside knew it from his visit early this summer, when Ed had been in trouble because of Danny being a suspect of vandalism.*

In a corner of the living room he saw a new picture, obviously created by the artistically talented Fran Belding: in a big heart there was a wedding picture of Eve and Ed and photos of Suzanne and Danny. In beautiful letters she had written on the red paper of the heart Psalm 115:18: "We will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD."

Ironside was committed to making every effort to help this very special family.

He wheeled to the phone. He contacted the police department, informed them and requested that an APB be put out on Ed's car. Then he started to search for his friends, calling the hotel where they had spent the night.

* * *

Liz Gallagher was up early as always. Since her retirement as a schoolteacher she spent the summers out here in her cabin in the mountains. In October she would move back to Denver. She looked out into her little garden and stiffened. A ragged figure was stumbling through the gate, a tall man, not even wearing a jacket against the morning chilliness. His torn shirt was hanging halfway out of his jeans. Looking closely she saw that his hands were cuffed behind his back. Oh Lord, was this an escaped prisoner?

She fetched her rifle and stepped out onto the porch. The man saw her and stood still.

* * *

 _* See ff story "Patterns"_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Sorry I trespassed, Madam. Don't be afraid, this isn't the way it looks. I'm a policeman: Edward Brown, Denver Police Chief. May I trouble you for a phone call to the police department to verify what I'm saying? I need help."  
He had a pleasant baritone voice, although it sounded exhausted.

Liz had read about the new Chief and she had seen his picture in the newspaper. She tried to imagine this man shaven, in a suit and after a decent meal and nodded. She believed him.

"Come in, Sir. Can we get rid of these handcuffs?"

It was obvious that his shoulder muscles were cramped and his hands swollen.

Ed took a deep breath. "Thank you, Ma'am." He told her what she had to do with the handcuffs.

"I'll take you home," she said. "But first sit down and have some breakfast. You look half starved."

Ed shook his head. "Thank you very much, but I can't... May I use your phone? I need to inform my family and the police."

* * *

"Ed! Where the hell have you been?"

"Suzanne..."

"We were worried to death! At least you could have called! Danny gave me the creeps with his stupid..."

"Suzanne, please..."

"...behavior and Chief Ironside flew down all the way..."

"Suzanne, listen! Has Eve called in?"

"...from Sonoma... What?! Oh my God, isn't Mom with you?"

Ironside took the receiver out of her hand.

"Ed – Ironside here. Where are you and what's going on?"

"We were assaulted. I'm afraid that they have Eve. I'm still near Estes Park."

Ironside heard the exasperation in Ed's voice. He knew that it took a lot to make Ed Brown sound so drained.

In short words Ed reported what had happened.

"Leave everything to me for the time being," stated Ironside.  
"Do you need transportation to get here?"  
If Ed said that there were no traces, then there were none. No need for him to stay there any longer.

"No. I'll meet you at headquarters. And please tell Danny that I'm all right."

He didn't sound all right and Ironside was glad that Danny hadn't heard him, although he had been standing right beside the phone.

"I want to come with you!" begged the boy.

Gently the Chief shook his head. "I need you to stay here in case your mother calls in. You don't want her to worry because she can't find you, do you?"

Suzanne drove him to headquarters while Danny stayed beside the phone.

Ironside was deep in thoughts. Why had Ed and Eve been assaulted? Were they just two random victims?  
No. If they had managed to beat Ed, then these two men were not a pair of random crooks, they were probably fighters, professionals. Had they been waiting for them? Ed's and Eve's being in this area had not exactly been a secret. They had even talked to the receptionist of the hotel where they had spent the night about where they intended to go.  
But why? Vengeance? Ed had been a policeman in Denver for many years now, he sure had made a lot of enemies in the underworld, same as Ironside in San Francisco. Some crooks might feel betrayed by Ed's harmless looks and his gentle demeanor. Behind it he was just as tough and as uncompromising as necessary. Ironside had trained the man personally, after all... Yet it would have been easier to kill him on the job.  
Or was it a matter of ransom money? Eve lived rather modestly now, by the standards of a millionaire's daughter. From Katherine he knew that the Browns lived on Ed's salary, and they both wouldn't have it any other way. But Eve was still a Whitfield. Somebody might have thought that her parents would pay a ransom for her... and they would be right. It was a possibility, but not a very likely one. If this was the case the hijackers would give notice soon.  
And what about that strange hermit? He would have to be taken care of, but it didn't seem as if he had anything to do with the original matter.

* * *

Liz Gallagher had heard Ed's part of the conversation.

"You must be worried to death about your wife. Of course I will take you to Denver right away. I understand that you can't eat, although you sure could use it, after running through the woods all night! But at least have a cup of coffee. I don't want you to collapse on the way there."

The coffee was strong and black and it brought a trace of color back to his face, and while he was drinking it she bandaged his scratched wrists.

Later in the car she encouraged him to lie back and get some rest, but he was too jumpy. Therefore she tried to engage him in a conversation. "So you have a daughter and a son?"

"Yes, Suzanne is grown up and Danny is twelve. Both of them are sorely in need of their mother."

It sounded like a perfectly 'normal' family – which they were really, really not. Eve and he needed a lot of energy for Danny with his Asperger's syndrome. Ed kept trying to help him understand the chaos which the world was for him and which frightened him to no end. He also tried to push him to his limits and help him overcome some of them. When his and Danny's nerves were frazzled, Eve was there for them with her kindheartedness and her infinite love. She had softened a lot since being Ironside's young, feisty police officer. She was now a mature, humble woman with an admirably caring soul. He had loved her then and he loved her even more now.

With Suzanne everything was more complicated. He was her boss. She was a smart, very promising young woman. Naturally he might have been a little sterner towards her than towards others, like Chief Ironside had been towards him in his time. On the other hand he was tempted to let her get away with more because he understood her problems. But of course the officers watched him like hawks and they would have suspected him of nepotism. Therefore he was too correct towards her, which didn't help their relationship. She was still mourning her father, which was more than understandable. But she also seemed to compare him to Sam Dwyer. Ed could not see why he should compete with him. He would never be able to replace Sam in Suzanne's heart, and he didn't want to. He just wanted to be there for Suzanne whenever she needed him. She should be the one to define the kind of relationship she wanted with him. Sometimes she tried to provoke a reaction from him, for instance when she had drunk. If he said something different from what Sam would have said, she would reject it. If he said something similar to him, it would be wrong as well. Therefore he just held his tongue, coward as he was. Only Eve was able to give her what she needed... sometimes, when Suzanne was capable of accepting it.

Liz sensed that he was unable to take his mind off his missing wife and respected his wanting to be alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Ironside wheeled into Ed's office as if it were his own. Until nine months ago he had worked here, so he knew the business, and people knew and respected him. He had discovered an environmental scandal and a conspiracy within the police department after all.*

He explained the situation to the City Commissioner, and Fisette appointed him a 'special consultant' and assigned him the case.

Ironside started his work in his usual manner, like a general. He chose bulky Sgt. Hank Riley, Ed's self-appointed fatherly protector, as his assistant. An APB was put out on Eve. He also sent out a helicopter to search for Ed's Ford, knowing well that it was easy to hide a car in a garage.

A younger officer put his head through the door. "Sir, there is a call about Chief Brown's wife!"

Ironside picked up the phone.

"Listen! We have Mrs. Brown. We want two prisoners set free, Eric Hall from Natrona County Jail in Casper and Brian Chesney from SD State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, complete with release papers. We want them taken to Denver International by 4pm."

"I want to talk to Mrs. Brown!"

"You won't! Trust me, we have her."

Ironside wanted to insist, but the line was dead.

Immediately he informed Commissioner Fisette. It would be his job to try and get that deal with the prisons, if only to buy them some time. Ironside's was to find Eve.

* * *

 _*"The Return of Ironside", 1993_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Suzanne opened the door before Ed reached it.  
"Mom was indeed abducted. The hijackers have called. They don't want any money, but two prisoners set free. Chief Ironside is working things out with the Commissioner. I sent Danny to school. I didn't want him to hang around all day."

The news about the abduction was more a relief than a shock. Eve was alive, that was the main thing.

A few months ago Ed would have reacted angrily about Suzanne's decision though. Danny would be worried sick. He needed a place to retreat, not additional stress. But his marriage to Eve had changed him. She was so sweet-tempered now. It was next to impossible to get angry around her. It felt totally out of place. And in most cases it didn't help anyway, like in this particular one. Therefore he didn't tell Suzanne that he considered this to be a mistake.

"Thank you, Suzanne, for all your help. I will join the Chief right away. Please, offer Mrs. Gallagher a cup of coffee and something to eat, will you?"

He needed barely five minutes to shave and change into clean clothes. To Liz it looked as if the victim of an assault had turned into the man who would do whatever was necessary to free an abducted person – no matter who they were - and call to account those responsible.

"I'm sure you will find your wife, Chief Brown. May the Lord help you!"

"Thank you very much." He put an envelope onto the table. "This is for your expenses on this involuntary trip. I will contact you when everything is over. Thank you again, Mrs. Gallagher."

He picked up Eve's car keys and left with his long stride.

* * *

"Thanks for coming, Chief," he greeted his former boss who was already in the middle of a thorough investigation, papers spread all over Ed's desk.

There was no sign of fatigue on Ironside's face, although he hadn't slept the previous night. He looked in top form. His concentrated intellect and willpower would have intimidated any adversary. It was good to have him on one's side.

"Ed, you say that there were two masked assailants. What do we know about them?"

"Well, I know that they were better than me," said Ed with bitterness in his voice.

Actually there was not much. "They were almost as tall as me, about 6 ft and 6 ft1. Both over 200 pounds. Clad in jeans and T-shirts, sneakers. They were wrestlers or boxers, with real training, I mean. They could have just shot me, but probably they thought I wasn't worth a bullet."

Ironside thought about it. Ed's words sounded as if he blamed himself for not being able to protect his wife. The way Ed described those assailants they didn't need a bullet to get rid of a guy like Ed Brown. But there was no use in telling him what he knew by himself.  
"Maybe it wasn't the price of a bullet but of a gun. There's a slim chance that the gun was used in another crime."

Ed nodded. "I don't know every criminal in this town of course. But for people who work on this level I should have heard of them. Therefore I think they are likely newcomers or out-of-towners."

Ironside summarized, "We don't have much to go on, but let's start looking for two hired professionals, active or former members of a wrestling or boxing club, tall, athletic."

"What about the prisoners they want to free?"

"A drug dealer named Eric Hall from Casper, and a bank robber, Brian Chesney from Sioux Falls."

Brown looked up surprised, although the names didn't sound familiar to him.

Ironside read his face correctly. "Yes, I thought the same thing. Why Denver?"

"The international airport?"

"Maybe. But let's also check out cottages and vacation homes. Maybe we can find a connection."

"Chief – this may be accidental, but that fight..."

"Spit it out!"

"They hit my back as if they knew about my weak point. How could they have known, being out-of-towners?"

"You were in Craig Institute in Los Angeles long enough back in '72 for any crook to notice it, and some of those flaming papers even reported your sensational healing. So let's also check possible connections to you... or to Los Angeles. And Ed!"

"Sir?" Old habits die hard.

"We'll find Eve."

"Yessir."

Suzanne knocked on Ed's office door. She looked upset and inimical.

"Danny came home from school. He didn't want to stay there. He put up a fuss, so I thought I'd take him here..."

Ed stood up immediately. "Give me a minute with him, Chief."

He left with his son to give him a chance to calm down a little.

Ironside looked at Suzanne. "I understand that you are in sorrow because of your mother. But why are you so hostile towards Ed Brown?"

"He landed my mother in trouble. Isn't that good enough a reason to be angry at him?!"

So she held him responsible for what had happened. "Do you think he could have done things differently?"

"No, _he_ could not. But somebody else could have. Somebody like my dad. He would never have allowed her to be abducted. He would have managed to protect mom. He would have clobbered two men singlehandedly."

Ironside kept his voice soft. "Would you prefer your mother had not married Ed because he's not as strong as your dad was?"

Silently Suzanne started to cry. "It would hardly reverse my dad's death if she hadn't, would it? I suppose it is none of my business who my mother has married. But I lost my dad, and now I may lose my mom too..."  
She looked into the clear blue eyes of the man she admired so much and felt that she had to be honest with him and with herself. "I... I know that it wasn't really Ed's fault. I just need someone to blame. I'm sorry."

Gently he laid his hand on her arm. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Suzanne. Ed won't hold it against you. And we will both do everything within our power to save your mother."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Ed came back with a much calmer Danny. Of course the boy was still worried about his mother, but the firm point of his universe was there again, so he could cope with it.

Ironside sent Suzanne to check out that hermit's past. His name was Hiller. Suzanne was off duty, but it would be better for her to have something to do to help.

"Probably he's got nothing to do with mum's abduction," she said.

"Probably he hasn't. Maybe he has!"

"Maybe he has," she repeated and went to check.

* * *

Ed came up with three long computer printouts.

"These are last year's lists of members of wrestling and boxing clubs in Casper and Sioux Falls and a current list of owners of vacation homes in the Denver area. Our suspects may show up on two of these lists. Problem is to find them."

"What do you have your flaming computers for if not for such a job?" asked Ironside.

"I had them sent to me by e-mail, then I deleted them and erased every trace. There is still a crook in my department, maybe several. I don't want them to know what exactly we are investigating."

The Chief nodded. He had always preferred human intelligence to artificial one, and he was convinced that in the long run it was superior. The problem of the traces was just one of the things he hated about computers.

"Ok – Danny, find these names for us!" he ordered.

"Chief, that's not exactly by the book..." Ed objected without much persuasion.

"You haven't seen me do this, Chief Brown. What these kidnappers have done isn't exactly by the book either, therefore I don't care if what I do is by the book or not!"

Ed had to secretly admit that he'd had the same idea. Of course he would have to take the responsibility if someone made a complaint.  
Danny had a very special way of seeing things. He might find a name on two lists much faster than anyone else.

Danny sat unceremoniously down on the floor and started to study the lists.

Ironside himself looked for connections between members of the local fighting clubs and Los Angeles, while Ed checked if there were any felonies with wrestlers or boxers as suspects. He thought of a gun not being used. He also studied the available photographs thoroughly. Maybe he could recognize one of the assailants, even though they had been masked. Two cups of cold coffee were standing around on the desk.

"How's your back, anyway?" asked Ironside randomly.

"Huh? What?" Ed looked up irritated.

"Your back. You were hit, weren't you?"

"Oh, fine." Ed was already engrossed in his files again.

Silently Ironside shook his head. His former model student had learned a few things a little too well from him. Just like himself, he was only interested in his own state of health as far as it had to do with the case at hand.

Ed handed a file over to Ironside. "Here's one whose frame looks vaguely familiar."

Ironside read aloud, "Paul Ryan, champion of Wyoming in Greek-Roman wrestling in 1982, came to Denver two months ago to be a wrestling teacher, 220 pounds then... If this was the guy it's no wonder he beat you, my friend." He wouldn't even need to know Ed Brown's weak point. But – he wasn't on the list of owners of vacation homes.

Nevertheless they put an APB out on him immediately.

* * *

Suzanne had studied Hiller's file carefully, but she couldn't see any connection with the case at hand.  
She chose to come back to Ed's office for an update.  
Through the glass door she saw the two men working together like a well-oiled machine. Strange how much they looked alike, being so different: Chief Ironside, strong, large, tough as nails, every line in his face set with willpower - and her unobtrusive stepfather; the creases in his face were much too sharp for his age. It was visible that he hadn't slept or eaten for too long, but he was just as determined and focused. How could she ever believe that he was a wimp?

Danny stood up. "Dad, Sir, I have a name. Jason Levy!"

The name appeared in Sioux Falls and among those with vacation homes in the Denver area. Levy had a cabin in the area of Estes Park.

Ed checked the computer. "That's interesting."

"Was he in Los Angeles in 1972?"

"Not quite. Las Vegas."

"Bingo! Al Bundy was in Vegas while you were in the hospital."

Noting the huge question mark on Danny's face he explained, "Al Bundy was a gangster involved in an accident your father had a long time ago.* Levy must have been around twenty then, and he must have got in contact with Bundy. Off we go to check out that cabin!"

"One problem, Chief..."

"You mean the leak within your department. Who knew where you and Eve would go yesterday?"

"Just about everybody."

"Thought so. Who do you trust a hundred percent?"

"Hank Riley, Suzanne and Jerry Abbey, but Jerry is on holiday and Suzanne is personally involved."

"You are personally involved too!"

"Touché. It's Hank, Suzanne, you and me then."

They weren't exactly a crack team physically. Ironside and Ed were both excellent shots, but what if it came down to something else than a gunfight? Well, they would worry about that when they were there.

Since they could not spare anybody as babysitter they took Danny with them, with the strict order to stay in the car.

As if they were going to have lunch they left headquarters, picking up an accurate map, a sniper rifle, two climbing ropes, mobile phones and whatever else they thought might be necessary on their way. They left in a police van. Hank took the wheel.

The map showed clearly enough the position of the cabin. At a distance of 500 yards they stopped.  
Ed and Suzanne sneaked up to it to take a close look at the situation.

Coming back they reported that the cabin was inhabited. There were at least two persons in it. It would not be possible to attack it from this side, since there were people behind the open windows. Somebody would have to rope down over a rock face behind the cabin. There was a spot a hundred yards below the cabin where Ironside would be able to hide though.

"I'll take the rifle," decided the Chief. "Suzanne will be my support. Ed, you go in from behind. Hank will secure you."

Back in San Francisco Ed would have been the obvious choice, but he had been twenty years younger and almost as many pounds heavier then. This was a job for a younger and more athletic man, but there was none available. Ed had to do it. Although he was no match for a wrestling professional his chances were still far better than Suzanne's or Hank's. He was shrewd and experienced, and he would not panic, whatever the situation. He was good with his gun and he would be prepared for trouble.  
Still Ironside wondered if he had the strength left to go through with it. He decided that he just had to. He would not let himself be stopped anyway; it was _Eve_ this was all about!

Ed and Hank helped Ironside to secretly get in position with his wheelchair, the rifle and binoculars, then they surrounded the place in a wide circle.

The back of the cabin lay in the shadow. Since it was a warm day for September most of the windows were open. The house was built close to the rock face. Ed would have to rope down halfway to the ground and then push himself away from the rock face to get to an open window.

From his Marine days Ed remembered the moves well.

He fixed one rope around a tree. The other was used as a safety line. He tied it around his waist and Hank secured him when he slowly roped down.

Ed knew that he would have to strike the window that he had chosen at the first try or he would most probably lose the element of surprise.

The adrenalin in his system let him function as if he were still thirty, well rested and in best shape. It seemed almost easy. Without causing any noise he climbed through one of the windows. He landed in a bedroom. Quietly he opened the door, his gun drawn.

Then he ran out of luck: An athletic man had been heading towards exactly that door – Paul Ryan!  
He knocked the weapon out of Ed's hand.  
Jason Levy heard the fight. He grabbed Eve around her neck...

* * *

* Ironside S6/1 Five Days in the Death of Sgt. Brown


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Through the open window Ironside saw them. Now Eve proved that she had once been Ironside's student: She stamped down on her capturer's left foot to distract him and then kicked him where it really hurts. When his grip loosened she took off towards the window, then she took cover below it. She managed to get away from Levy far enough to allow Ironside a clear shot. The Chief, still a crack shot, didn't hesitate a second. He hit the kidnapper exactly where he wanted to, in his right shoulder. The kidnapper went down heavily. Eve picked up Ed's gun and pointed it at the injured criminal.

Meanwhile Ed and Ryan had got into a vicious fight. Ed knew that the ex-champion outclassed him by far in wrestling and in weight. But Ed had been on the streets long enough to know quite a few dirty moves, and he only used the very dirtiest ones he could remember. This obviously wasn't the time for Greek-Roman wrestling. Apparently Ryan hadn't been expecting much resistance from the slim man, let alone this kind of fight, therefore Ed managed against all odds to bring the man down.

Breathing heavily he took his handcuffs off his belt and secured Ryan around a heating pipe, not bothering to read him his rights. Next thing was to take his gun back. Levy, who was lying on the ground, clasped the wound in his shoulder. He would not raise trouble for the time being.

Suzanne stormed in. She took in the scene in front of her eyes. A word sprang in her mind: 'Singlehandedly'. This time she didn't compare Ed Brown to her deceased father, but Ed Brown to the two heavy-weight wrestlers. And her judgment turned out differently. Chief Ironside had shot one of them, and her mother had contributed her part to the success, but Ed Brown had done a fine job as well. Chief Ironside, whom she respected so much, had been right all along with what he had hinted. Maybe it wasn't necessary to do things singlehandedly, but just to the best of one's capabilities.

Hank was the next to arrive. He had handcuffs with him as well. He searched the prisoners for weapons and finally read them their rights.

Ed let him do his job, turned to his wife and embraced her. No words were needed between them.  
Eve wasn't hurt, just very shaken. Now her life seemed to start all over again. For almost 24 hours she had been afraid that her husband was dead. The insecurity and fear had been by far the worst part of this nightmare for her. For quite some time they just stood there, holding each other tightly, relieved beyond measure.

Ironside came in, helped by Hank, and thinking about a crooked cop – the one telling Levy and Ryan where to look for the Browns. Chief Brown would have to take care of that soon.  
When he saw that for the time being everything was under control he nodded contentedly.  
He glanced at the couple and wondered briefly about who was supporting whom. He decided that it didn't matter. If there had ever been two people who belonged together it were Eve and Ed Brown.

He wanted to be taken directly to the airport to get a late evening flight back to San Francisco. On the plane he still wondered which one of the Browns was most relieved.

It felt great to be part of this family.

* * *

It took Ed a long time to get his son to bed this time. It was after ten o'clock when Suzanne heard him enter Eve's and his bedroom.

Five minutes later she knocked at their door.

"Come in!"

She found Eve laying on the bed and Ed sitting at her side, holding her hand.

She threw an envelope onto Ed's nightstand. "This is my resignation letter."

Her voice sounded more defiant than ever.

For a moment nobody spoke.

"Why, honey?" asked her mother finally, sitting up. Her voice betrayed her shock and incomprehension.

Suzanne swallowed. "Because you can't tell your boss that you don't like his tie. Or that you are angry at him because he worries your mother by not eating properly."  
Tears started running over her face. "Damn, I want to be able to tell my father that I love him. I want to hug him!"

Ed stood up and pulled her into a tender embrace. "Thank you, Suzanne. Thank you so much, sweetheart."

Eve gave them a moment together, then she joined the hug. Ed's arms were more than long enough to wrap them around both of them.

* * *

Ironside hung up the phone.  
"That was Mark Sanger. He asked if I could come down and help him with a difficult case. Say, Katherine – will this ever end? Their calling me when they are in trouble? Ok, Ed and Eve didn't call me this time, but Danny is so to say the next generation already!"

Katherine hugged him passionately. "Would you want it to end?"

He caressed her hand with his chin, then kissed it and grinned, a sparkle in his blue eyes, "No, I wouldn't. Harvest is still a long way away. Come with me this time!"

* * *

 ** _Author's note:_**  
 _Jodi and Lemonpig both helped with this story. Thank you, dear ladies!  
And thank you, dear readers and reviewers. Your interest means a lot to me. _


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